Piia Markkanen

Piia Markkanen is a postdoctoral researcher who examines the design of urban environments that support wellbeing and health. Her work combines methods from design research and participatory research with the aim of strengthening the democratization of knowledge and integrating health-related insights into urban planning practices. Markkanen’s research focuses on how environmental factors shape perceived wellbeing and on how planning processes can be developed to become more participatory and evidence‑informed.

She studies how different environmental characteristics affect human wellbeing and health, and her research interests include models that explain the health impacts of urban nature and nature-based design solutions. She is motivated by the ambition to advance healthier, more inclusive and more equitable urban environments.

Markkanen holds a doctoral degree in workspace design, in which she applied participatory design methods, as well as a doctoral degree in biochemistry, which provides a multidisciplinary understanding of the mechanisms underlying human health.